Lets face it the best part of riding is riding with friends. The next best thing about riding is riding with friends in new places. We strive to help you find great places to ride. Below is a review of organized rides one of our customers did for 2013. If you need help in finding our selecting rides please let us know, we would love to help. We also welcome your feedback.

Note – The opinions expressed below are that of the writer and have not been edited or modified by us.

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My review of organized bike events for 2013

For the bike season of 2013, I had a tremendous opportunity to experience a large number of organized bicycle events. Here is my review of those event.

Let’s start with my favorites:

Seagull Century, October 5- Salisbury, MD: the Super Bowl of Chesapeake region riding. 100 miles for me. Very well organized, over 7,000 participants, 25 years, so they know what they are doing. Typical bike ride food with a pie and ice cream stop on the last stop. Terrain is very flat but usually it is windy. Very Scenic, but I did the Snow Hill route, not Assateague. Routes of 62 and 100 miles are available. Also most stops have live music. Fee around $60. 5th year I have done this one.

Ride for Hunger, Calvert County April 27- Huntingtown, MD: 62 miles to raise money to fight hunger in Calvert County. Extremely well run, top quality food throughout, participants around 1,000. Terrain is gently rolling but a good amount of climbing. Very scenic featuring views of farmland, the Bay, a marina and lots of diverse types of trees. Multiple distances from 10 to 62 are available. Fee around $50. 1st year I have participated.

Cap to Cap, May 11- Richmond or Williamsburg VA: 100 miles to raise money for the bike/walking trail being built between Williamsburg and Richmond, VA. Very well run, good food, good level of participation at around 1,500 bikers. Terrain is mostly flat a few very gentle climbs. Actually get to see some true American history and the trail is about 35% complete. Fee around $50-75. 2013 was my first participation.

Six Pillars, May 4, Cambridge, MD: Very scenic, good support, food good on ride, wonderful at end of ride featuring many healthy options. Multiple loops thru Blackwater Nature Refuge, lots of nature, water, birds, likely to see Bald Eagle. Multiple distances from 11, 37 56 and 100 miles. Fee of $50 goes to supports Character Counts that helps 8,000 kids in local market. 4th year of doing this event, never disappoints.

SMECO 75, June 1- Hughesville MD: 75 miles to raise money for local homeless charities. Well run, some climbing, OK food, well supported, participation a bit less than 1,000. Some of the ride goes thru Amish country but overall, very scenic. Multiple distances available. Some time spent on a local bike trail but 95% of ride is on county roads. Fee around $50. 2013 was my second year.

Amish County, Sept 7, Dover Delaware: 100 miles to raise money for Kent County various charities. Very well run, good food including locally baked cookies and cakes by the Amish, lots of riders and the terrain is pretty flat. Multiple distances from 15 to 100 and a concert at the end, very scenic including some history. Completed this in 2013 and 2012. Fee is around $50. My 2nd year.

Good almost Great:

PAX RIVER, Heritage ride, June 15, Croom MD: A ride run by Oxon Hill Bike club that supports the club. Food is OK, terrain is a bit hilly and participation is around 300. Multiple distances, with interlocking loops. Pretty well run and easy route to follow including several visits to the Patuxent River. Fee is $ 15 and 2013 was my second time on this ride.

Bay to Ocean, April 20, Bethany Beach De: well-run flat but windy event early in season so weather can be a challenge. Good food, nice scenery, friendly location. Fee is $40 supports local charities. 2013 was my 3rd year.

Shorefire Aug 24, Middletown De: Extremely well run event by White Clay Bike Club… multiple distances, well-marked, well supported, average food. Fee $30 supports local bike club. Scenery was OK, we spent time in the country but also went thru Dover DE. My 1st year on this event.

Bay to Bay, June 23, Chestertown MD: very well run and supported, multiple distances. Food was good, 1st time I did this event. Mostly secondary roads. Scenery was OK, not great. $20 fee supports local Lions Club and raises money for dogs for the blind. My 1st year on this one.

Fall Foliage Oct 19, St Michaels MD: Likes, able to maintain superfast pace, closed out at 19 MPH ave, good group of guys on the ride, well supported. Dislikes: 2 times the loop goes thru downtown St Michaels… too crowded with tourists this time of year, therefore a bit scary/dangerous. Fee was about $40 support Talbot Interfaith Shelter. My 2nd year on this event.

Tour Du Talbot, Sept 21, Easton MD: Great cause… raised money for Mid Shore Riverkeepers who work to keep pollution out of the rivers of the eastern shore. Rest stops are on the various rivers in the area that the Riverkeepers protect, as such the scenery is pretty darn good. Multiple distances, and about 1,500 riders. The markings on the road were not too great for 2013 and many riders missed rest areas. Fee is approx. $60 and goes to the Riverkeepers. My 3rd year on this event.

Heart of the Chesapeake, 4 Aug, Cambridge Md: Another ride thru the beautiful Blackwater Nature refuge on the eastern shore. Support is good, scenery is beautiful and you are likely to see bald eagles. Metric Century and other distances. Features a stop at a local winery… no kidding. Also actual Smith Island Cake at a stop on… Smith Island. Registration fee of $35 goes to support the Dorchester YMCA. My 1st year on this event

Not my favorites

Covered Bridge, Aug 18, Lancaster PA: This was my 3rd year on this event and it has rained each and every year. This year it was a steady, mist all day. The scenery is nice if you like rural farmland with crops, cows and lots of Amish. The Fee of $35 goes to supports the Lancaster Bike Club’s grant program. They have raised over $250K since 2000 for Bike activities. Support is pretty good and there are over 1,000 riders. There is a pretty good amount if climbing, too. Support includes a Subway lunch at mid-point of ride. My issue is the bad luck of rain on this event, but it is well run and supported.

Two Rivers, June 29, Centerville MD: disappointing level of support. On a very, very hot and humid day, the food consisted of only bagels and peanut butter… at EVERY stop. Water supplies were empty when we arrived at several stops and the water we did get was tap water, not chilled. If I do this ride again, I will do the shorter distance. Start/Finish line in Centerville MD, lots of local food to be had. Scenery is pretty good. Fee of $40 goes to Wye River School in Centerville. This was my first year on this event.

by Daryl Hancock